Illustrator keeps crashing when I use gradients!!!!!

Report · Jan 03, 2020

Illustrator keeps crashing when I use gradients. Every time I drag a color to the gradients it crashes. I have the new Illustrator but it keeps happening. Please helllllllllllp!!!!!!!!!!

Report · Jan 03, 2020

Which version, which system?

What exactly are you doing? Which color do you "dragto the gradients"?

Which document color mode is this?

Are those new or old files?

Can you create gradients using different methods?

Does everything else work?

Did you already restart the computer?

Report · Jan 03, 2020

Hello

I use illustrator cc 2020. I am just dragging a color into the gradients. I think I use cmyk color mode. Everything else works, just the gradients make it crash.

Report · Jan 03, 2020

What kind of color? A spot color? Did you create the swatch? How?

Does it work when you double click in the gradient panel to open the swatches panel and then select the swatch?

Report · Jan 03, 2020

just any color. when I drag the color square down to the gradient bar.

Report · Jan 03, 2020

In order to find out if it is a general gradient issue or just the dragging, can you please tell us if you can create gradients using other methods? Thank you.

Have you already restarted the computer?

Report · Jan 03, 2020

this is the method I ve always been using. not sure if there is other ways that are as quick.

Report · Jan 03, 2020

Please do just try it. It's important.

https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/gradients.html

And have you restarted the computer?

And this also happens in a newly created file using the default swatches?

Report · May 19, 2020

Hello Monika could you please help me, I have a problem with Illustrator cc 2020 version 24.1.2, Im using windows 10 ASUS all in one, Core i.7. My problem is any vector image I create, where I have applied the gradient tool, laggs and has too load when I click and drag the image across the work space. This is very slow and has only just started doing this and was not doing this before. Could I have some help please? I have also tried opening illustrator in safe mode and Illustrator does not open and crashes.

Report · May 19, 2020

What did you do that might have caused this?

When was your last computer restart?

Report · Jan 03, 2020

Hello

I use illustrator cc 2020. I am just dragging a color into the gradients. I think I use cmyk color mode. Everything else works, just the gradients make it crash.

Report · Mar 10, 2020

I have this problem too. 8 out of 10 times when I try to edit gradients, Illustrator will not crash per se but it won't close the gradient tool when I try to (the tool panel hides but it's obviously still active), and thus all efforts to continue working, select other layers or even restart the app is not responding / grayed out. When I go to "force quit" there is no indication that Illustrator is not responding.

My most recent sample - which caused me to search for a fix and end up here - was a regular linear gradient from full color to transparency, placed on a shape. RGB color mode (web graphics). The full document is less than 1MB and there is no sign of stress in the form of increased fan activity or lagging of other programs during this task.

I am on a MBP macOS Catalina 10.15.3 with reasonable specs (2,9 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7, 16 GB RAM, Radeon Pro 560 4 GB, Intel HD Graphics 630 1536 MB), and Creative Cloud / all apps are updated.

Report · Mar 10, 2020

Please tell us the Illustrator version.

I assume the computer is restarted regularly?

Did you already try and rebuild the preferences?

Report · Mar 13, 2020

Version 24.1. No, I have not tried rebuilding preferences, will have to look into how that is done.

Report · Mar 13, 2020

Resetting preferences might seem to have done the trick. Is this something which should be done regularly - how often, if so? I am used to emptying my browser cache, but I didn't realize that customizing the UI of Illustrator would cause lagging like this? It seems a bit counteractive having to reset and then restore one's personal UI settings, is there a hidden trick I am not getting?

Report · Mar 13, 2020

Resetting the preferences usually doesn't need to be done regularly. The only times I need to do it is when I install a new version. I haven't reset the preferences of my older versions for ... ages?

If you find that preferences are causing you issues, this might (!) point to other issues with your system:

- corrupt read/write privileges

- corrupt user folder

- hardware issues with your disk

- installing/uninstalling a lot of third party plugins in Illustrator, which gets confusing

Report · Jul 10, 2020

I am having the same issue. Even when I already have a gradient created, if I try to apply it to an object then Illustrator crashes immediately. Every time! I've restarted my computer, shut down all other apps and software, etc. I have the Problem Report saved -- would it help for you to see that?

Report · May 23, 2020

This happens to me too. It must have crashed 10 or more times even after reinstall. What a garbage update.

Report · Jun 25, 2020

Yes im having same issue new SSD Drive fresh copy of macos and it crashes everytime really annoying me as i loose my work everytime

Not sure yet but might have found a fix

Preference > Performance > uncheck "GPU Performance"

Report · Jun 25, 2020

"Adobe you need to do better than this as this software costs us all money and its crashing Yes im having same issue new SSD Drive fresh copy of macos and it crashes everytime really annoying me as i loose my work everytime

Not sure yet but might have found a fix

Preference > Performance > uncheck "GPU Performance""

And your crash is related to gradients?

Otherwise your post is very irritating in this thread.

If deactivating GPU performance prevents crashes than it's a sign that your graphic card or the driver is not compatible with Illustrator or there's something wrong with it.

Can you try and get an update for the driver?

Also: some Mac hardware uses external GPU and automatic GPU switching. Yours as well? And if so: can you try and turn that off?

Report · Jun 25, 2020

Comment amended Sorry you found the comment irritating but i have been trying to get this fixed for ages i will take your comments on board and try these step

Report · Jul 16, 2020

Haha well, "irritating" is exactly the word I thought when my Illustrator kept crashing. I am paid by the hour and this is just very annoying when I try to do my job and instead of 1h, it takes 3h.

Weirdly enough when Adobe fixes one thing - other gets broken.

My Laptop has been up to date at all times, so I'm not sure why this keeps happening. Waiting patiently for the new update as this really has been rubbish haha.

Report · Aug 17, 2020

I have the same problem, it crashes when using gradients. Dragging colours to the gradient panel, or just moving the sliders. It's really annoying when you are working and have to keep restarting illustrator.

Report · Sep 01, 2020

This has happened to me as well- three times in two days. I am on CC most current version. I was using a gradient that was created in a file that I downloaded from an Adobe Cert. Trainer on bringyourownlaptop training class. I was simply adjusting the gradient so that the balance of the lighter color was more toward the 70% range using the gradient window panel. As soon as I move the slider with a color in it the program crashes and shuts down. I also had it crash while adjusting the gradient while on the object. The object was a simple circle.

Report · Sep 17, 2020

Happening to me as well, when I drag a swatch to the gradient slider in the gradient palette... Any swatch - black, white, spot and CMYK.

v24.3 on Mac Mojave. Happens in newly created files and old files. Never happened until this update. I have restarted several times with no improvement.

Adobe Community

Illustrator keeps crashing when I use gradients!!!!!

Explore related tutorials & articles